As usual, I’m late in getting this page updated. The reasons for the delay this time are a little bit different than usual.

On December 21st, I suffered a massive pulmonary embolism. This was entirely unexpected. I’d been experiencing what I believed was a muscle cramp in my right leg for a couple of weeks before that, but the source of the discomfort actually turned out to be a secret congregation of blood clots; the clots then decided that a leg is a dull place to be and moved their party into my lungs, and this nearly killed me. Fortunately, I live very close to a hospital in an area with a world-class medical system, so I was able to get into surgery very quickly with doctors who were specialists in my condition. It’s the only reason I was able to survive.

I’m incredibly lucky to have come through the situation more-or-less intact. The quantity of clots in both lungs was so extensive that the doctors were surprised I lived long enough to make it to surgery. Clearly, my heart has more sheer bloody-minded determination than I do, and it refused to quit during the trips between different hospitals despite the severe obstacles it was facing. Medical science has made some remarkable developments: instead of having to saw open my rib cage to reach my lungs — as would have been necessary not all that long ago — the doctors sneaked in through an artery in my leg, sent up a minature plumbing-rooter gizmo to clean out my lungs, installed a little targeted clot-busting dispenser overnight to clear up what was left, placed a filter at the top of the leg artery to catch any more wandering clots, and then sent me on my merry (but wobbly) way home two days later.

I’ve been making steady progress, but getting my ass kicked by my own circulatory system has taken a heavy toll, and it will be a while before I make a full recovery. Last week I had the IVC filter in my leg removed; it had to be extracted through the carotid artery in my neck, as it’s designed to only move in one direction (interestingly (to me anyway), this extraction took place at the site of my last brush with mortality, right next to the scar I gave myself at the age of 12 when I ran through a sliding glass door and nicked my jugular vein with a shard of broken glass). The procedure went flawlessly, although it put me out of action once again for a several days. But I got to keep the filter! It’s a LOT bigger than I’d expected: about two inches tall and an inch wide at the bottom. Out of context, I think it’s quite a lovely piece of futurist sculpture. In fact, it looks exactly like this:

The important part of this story for all of you out there is: don’t spend all day sitting in front of your computer! Get up and stretch at least once an hour. Take a break every couple of hours. This is even more important on long flights, as the altitude creates an even more dangerous situation. It may not seem that sitting too much can have lethal consequences, but it certainly can. Different genetics & lifestyles factor into it as well, but most people are not aware of these issues until it’s too late. Most of the stories I’ve heard since my own embolism (and there have been a lot of them) don’t have a happy ending like mine did: usually it suddenly hits someone who’s completely unaware there’s even a problem, and it simply kills them. I’ve always been a particularly healthy & active person and I don’t have any bad-substance-intake habits: none of that prevented this from happening. Don’t take the risk. Be good to your legs.

There have been a number of developments before and after my medical adventures, but to keep this already long update from getting completely unmanageable I’ll list a couple of things and save the rest for the next one (when more complete details should be available anyways).

Thing 1:

I’ve just posted the first installment of what will be a monthly series of ‘digital singles’: two tracks with a front & back cover and a credits insert, just like a real single. Only digital. I know many of you would prefer a real, physical single, but given the prohibitive cost of pressing vinyl this is the best I can do right now, so I hope you will set your digital misgivings aside and consider supporting this series. I’ll be posting a new single at the end of every month in 2018. I hope to collect them all onto a physical format (probably a CD) once the series is finished, but I’ll cross that bridge once I’ve burned it. You can find the first single at my Bandcamp site here.

Thing 2:

Over the past few months I’ve been posting a series of teaser tracks on Soundcloud under the heading ‘Preamble to 10 Stations’ as a lead-up to the next full irr. app. (ext.) album (which will be called, coincidentally enough, ’10 Stations’), but have consistently forgotten to mention any on this site except for the first one. They’re all still there, though, so if you’re interested you haven’t missed anything. Most of the tracks are outtakes or alternate mixes, but one of the actual tracks from the album has been posted so far, and one more album track, as well as at least one more outtake, will be posted during the next couple of weeks. Since I’m on the topic of the new album, I can mention that all of the tracks for it are now finished. Next up will be the task of creating the packaging, which will be entirely hand-made and include some elements of original art with every copy. The prototype has been successfully completed and all the raw materials have been gathered: now it’s just down to putting all of the little buggers together. I’ll be working to complete them as fast as I can — which right now is at about half my usual speed, so I’ll admit it is going to be a while before they’re ready. Below are all the tracks so far. Full descriptions can be found with each post on Soundcloud..

It’s time once again to attempt to trawl for some funds. I’m afraid that, for the foreseeable future, this is probably going to be a regular event in some form or another! At the moment, I’m looking to fill in the gap while the next new album is being prepared, and also to cover some of the material costs involved in making that happen.

The next album (titled ’10 Stations’) is going to have a completely hand-assembled package rather than a jewel case, and some original art will be a part of every copy. I’ve assembled some raw prototypes with cheaper materials just to make sure the design will actually work (which appears to be the case), and as soon as I get a few copies assembled with the proper materials I’ll post some images. Doing all the original art will take some time. The audio content for the album is about three-quarters complete right now, with five of the ten tracks finished and the remaining five tracks all in progress. In the meantime, I’ll be posting some outtakes & alternates (as well as some actual excerpts) to the irr. Soundcloud page. The first of these has already been posted and is linked below. Full details about the track can be found in the description on Soundcloud.

Onward to the fund-grubbing. There is only one of each listed item (or bundle) available, so send me an e-mail me at irrappext@gmail.com if you’re interested. Feel free to ask questions! Combined postage can be calculated for any multiple-item orders. For US orders, I’ll have to use Priority Mail since artwork cannot be sent by Media Mail.

‘Stuck In A Hole, In The Fog…’ poster designSOLD
charcoal on drawing board
11 1/8″ x 15 1/8″
coated with protective matte finish
price: $75
package weight: 24 ounces
postage: US Priority $13 ; First Class International $22.50
total: US $88 ; international $97.50
note: This was a poster created for a benefit event for the Barely Human Dance Theatre in 2002. There is some slight wear & minor discolouration on the board in a few areas, but overall it looks as represented in the photo.

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5.

NIGHT WEARING FEATHERS ARTWORK & LP BUNDLE

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.All three original ink drawings for the irr. app. (ext.) + At Jennie Richie ‘Night Wearing Feathers’ LP package (‘Night Wearing Feathers’, ‘Sunshine Bus Rider’ and ‘Intermediaries’), plus a signed copy of the LP [edition of 234] and a signed copy of the ‘Unknown Invertebrate Drama’ collaborative C33 [edition of 66]

I’ve collected together my surplus copies of AJR cassette releases, a copy of the ‘In A Dream With Poe’ CDR, and added an original drawing of my own to the bundle. I’ve done a number of collaborations with AJR over the years, who were also the instigators for the Nine Day Antler Society online gallery. Most AJR releases have been small editions and can be difficult to find even when they are brand new, so this bundle is a good introduction to a worthy project. Further details on the releases can be found on Discogs and at atjennierichie.blogspot.com.

I’ve uncovered an extra copy of the rare Fistfuck LP ‘Live At Der Putsch, Amsterdam, Nov ’82 / Live At The Air Gallery, London, Jan ’82’. Fistfuck was one of Diana Rogerson’s pre-NWW projects; more information about this can easily be found online. The LP was limited to 150 numbered copies (this is #50) and is pressed on marbled red vinyl. [note: the cover is heavy paper coated on the outside with red latex; the latex aggressively sticks to any protective plastic sleeve, so to make things easier I’ve slit a plastic sleeve down the side so the LP can be removed without having to slide the cover out, and added another sleeve around that sleeve to keep everything safely contained.]

Also included with the LP is a custom CDR of the irr. app. (ext.) / Diana Rogerson collaboration ‘The Famine Road’. Unlike the CDR copies bundled with the LP back in 2007, this is a full 30-minute collection of all 3 tracks packaged with a fold-out insert, double-sided tray card and printed disc in a clear jewel case (the previous CDR copies had just one track & a simple insert in a slimline case). This fully-packaged physical version of the release has not been made available before.

A few more bundles with some irr. rarities & special items are in preparation, and maybe some more artwork. More ’10 Stations’ teaser tracks coming soon…

Thanks for your attention! If you’re looking at an e-mail version of this update and the images & text are all jumbled up, my sincere apologies. When there are multiple images, I can’t always figure out how to get them arranged properly.

A new irr. album has been listed on Bandcamp here. ‘Future Reveries Of The Eoarchaean Biomass, Volume One’ is the first in a series of releases that will focus more on subtle atmospheres & gradual changes: maybe something like a cross between a fictional environmental recording and a soundtrack to an uneasy dream. Volume two is already in preparation.

This series will be digital-only for the time being: it’s getting difficult to get physical releases made, and the prohibitively high overseas postage rates isn’t helping. The new physical-format album I mentioned earlier is still moving forward, however, and preview samples will be posted to my Soundcloud page (and linked here) before long.

“Without a doubt, the finest Eoarchaean-themed recording ever made! The entire family never gets tired of hearing it: the kids use it for their puppet shows, and grandma puts it on while making her decoupage sponge holders. Even the dog loves it! I still listen to it every night as I’m going to sleep.” — Fred Astaire

I’ve been especially busy since the last news post, and lots of things are fizzing and burbling the in eie kitchen this summer, but more will be said of that soon enough. Right now, there are three main things to mention: new Thomas Carnacki items in the shop, new listings on the irr. Bandcamp page, and the long-awaited release (and disappointing outcome) of the Dark Fat vinyl edition.

The special numbered edition also contains the additional bonus of an original pen & ink drawing by the High Carnackiphant himself, Gregory “Don’t Call Me Barbara” Scharpen. All three options are available in the shop, but in limited quantities.

The second TC item is the very limited 3″ CDR ‘The Infant’s Trajectory‘, a few copies of which managed to survive the shenanigans at the 15th Annual Outsound New Music Summit (a shameless bacchanal that, with every passing year, drags more of our innocent youth into the quagmire of self-indulgence and depravity). Each copy (which have been scrupulously cleansed of any residual traces of moral turpitude, in case you were concerned) is numbered and features festive hand-drawn pen & ink artwork on the disc, once again rendered by the aforementioned Scharpen. Full details can be found on the item pages.

In order to help lubricate the effectiveness of your shopping experience, a variety of combined-postage bundles have been prepared for both new items. Buttons for the 3″ and 7″ (each version) combined together can be found underneath the individual-purchase buttons on each page, as well as larger bundles that include the 3″ and the 7″ plus the other 3 Thomas Carnacki CDs in the shop, and a deluxe bundle that includes all of these items as well as the legendary Thomas Carnacki / Vulcanus 68 split LP. Just scroll down to see all of the options.

“Listening to the music of Thomas Carnacki is probably the most profoundly sexual sensory experience I’ve ever had — and I grew up on a chinchilla farm.” — William Hope Hodgson

Three new listings have been added to the irr. app. (ext.) Bandcamp page, all three of which were previously only available on cassette: Flux/Crayfish (2011), The 11-Year Backwards Sleepwalk (also 2011), and Yma Dhym Mûr Varthegyon (the irr. side from the 2013 ‘Arpt Verjennepp Tonxtie’ split cassette). ‘Yma Dhym…’ has been extended from the original 23-minute version on the cassette to a robust 33 minutes — and each individual one of those extra ten minutes its worth 10 minutes in itself. The download version of ‘Sleepwalk’ is rumoured to contain a hidden bonus track, but this rumour is so scurrilous and despicable that I refuse to even make mention of it.

On a less exultant note, the triple-LP boxed edition of Dark Fat has finally materialised. My disappointed response is not due to the box itself, which is a thing of beauty for the entire world to enjoy for thousands of years far into the distant future; the trouble stems solely from the unfortunate fact that, due to administrative miscalculation (for lack of a better phrase), I’ve received a piddling 3 copies to sell. This has created a serious hiccup in my accounting, as I expected quite a few more than that to help carry me through the completion of the new irr. album (which is coming along very nicely, by the way). To try to remedy this shortfall, I’ve come up with 2 strategies.

One is to make each of these 3 copies a special edition of my own, including a CDR copy of ‘Dark Drippings’, a 2xCDR copy of the Dark Fat vinyl audio master, and at least one piece of specially-made original artwork sized 12″ x 12″ to fit in the box. Full details will follow as soon as I figure them out. If you haven’t bought your copy of the box yet, you may want to hold off and save your pennies for this extra-ultra-snazzy version. The regular box is going for 45 euro (about $54), so this 3-copy special edition is going to be somewhat more expensive than that.

The second strategy is to create another ‘Dark Drippings’-type collection from some of the raw material that wasn’t used on other projects. Work on this new collection, titled ‘A Darker Shade Of Fat’, is already underway. I’m sure this might come across as milking the same tired cow one time more than is prudent, but the truth is there is a lot of material left to explore, and I’m making use of it in a far more unorthodox way: layering and manipulating the sources even beyond what was done on Dark Fat to create something distinctly different. So, less of an “extras and outtakes” collection, and more of a self-contained work. This new album will only be released digitally to begin with, as I don’t have the resources to make something physical right now; but I hope to make a small physical edition available in the not-too-distant future.

Also: some credits were accidentally left out of the album’s liner notes, so perhaps I can remedy that here. I assembled and mastered the original Dark Fat CD album myself, and the re-editing and remastering of the album for vinyl was also done by me. Dig that: the little man is blowing his own horn. “Toot toot toot,” says the little man.

It’s tax time (ugh) here in the States once again, and so I’m prompted to do my annual scramble in hopes of coaxing some funds into the coffers before the tax man drops the axe. I’ve put together a few different bundles of related releases, rarities and artwork — all priced in a range that will hopefully inspire wanton consumer frenzy while still bringing in enough bananas to alleviate the seasonal economic distress.

These bundles are are mostly one-of-a-kind (or very limited), so I’m taking my usual approach of not listing them in the shop to avoid multiple button-pushes on something that has already sold. If you’re interested in one of the bundles, please send me an e-mail at irrappext@gmail.com so I can confirm availability. Also, feel free to get in touch if you have questions about any of the items. Please do not use the payment buttons on any of the artwork that is already listed in the shop: the prices will not be correct.

As always, apologies to people outside of the US for the lousy postage rates.

Bundle #1:

A Beginners Guide To Nurse With Wound, part 3 [expanded version] – SOLD

A spectacular way to start off a NWW record collection for yourself, a lonely grandparent, or that grumpy neighbour waiting for a kidney transplant. The bundle includes a profusion of Nursey classics, old and new: Sylvie & Babs (2CD version), Bar Maldoror (2CD version), Dark Fat (2CD) + Dark Drippings bonus disc (#30 gold number edition), Shipwreck Radio Volume 1 (2CD), Shipwreck Radio Final Broadcasts, The Man With The Woman Face + bonus material disc, Soundpooling + Handjob For The Laughing Policeman bonus disc, Spiral Insana (2CD silver book edition), A Sucked Orange (2CD version), Insect & Individual Silenced (expanded), Automating Volume 3, May The Fleas Of A Thousand Camels Infest Your Armpits, Od Lot, A Possible Nursemix (CDR). 23 discs in total. All CD are brand new. The ‘Spiral Insana’ book has some wrinkling at the top left corner due to being poorly packed when it was shipped to me, but is otherwise in new condition.

A special bonus for this bundle is the piece of original artwork pictured above, drawn by yours truly and based on Steven Stapleton’s cheeky ‘Sugar Fish Drink’ capering imp character. The artwork image size is 9″ x 9″, ink on archival board, signed & dated on the back. Click on the images for a closer look.

The price for bundle #1 is $250. Total package weight is 62 oz, so Priority Mail postage in the US is an additional $20, and First Class International postage anywhere else is an additional $50 (*choke*).

A second option is available for the US: I can’t send a package containing artwork via Media Mail, but I can send the art & the discs separately. Media Mail for the bundle of discs (56 oz.) is $4.50, and First Class for the artwork (9 oz.) is $4, so a total of $8.50 to send everything using a slower delivery method & a divided package. Be aware that the two packages will not be arriving at the same time.

Interest/questions: irrappext@gmail.com

Bundle #2:

irr. Cassette Rarities – SOLD

This bundle contains a variety of irr. app. (ext.) cassette releases, all of which are limited edition releases and most of which are now out-of-print: Matériaux Déplacés, The 11-Year Backwards Sleepwalk, Flux/Crayfish (which I forgot to include in the photo), “[??]” (irr + Six Heads), Backflow Background (irr split with At Jennie Richie), Unknown Invertebrate Drama (irr split with At Jennie Richie), Cascades Of The Absurd (compilation with irr, Pink Void, At Jennie Richie, Broken Penis Orchestra, Red Squirrels), Readymades Compilation Of Arrangements (compilation with irr, At Jennie Richie, Crank Sturgeon, Vertonen), New Directions In Experimental Music (3 cassette compilation with one side each of irr, The Haters, Mlhest, Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, Andy Ortmann, Mixed Band Philanthropist — #58/100). 11 cassettes in total.

A special bonus for this bundle is the piece of original artwork pictured above, drawn by someone who is either myself or bears an uncanny resemblance to myself. The artwork image size is 8″ x 8″, ink on archival board, signed & dated on the back. Click on the images for a closer look.

The price for bundle #1 is $90. Total package weight is 34 oz, so Priority Mail postage in the US is an additional $18.50, and First Class International postage anywhere else is an additional $35 (*sigh*).

A second option is available for the US: I can’t send a package containing artwork via Media Mail, but I can send the art & the discs separately. Media Mail for the bundle of cassettes (29 oz.) is $3.50, and First Class for the artwork (6 oz.) is $3.50, so a total of $7 to send everything using a slower delivery method & a divided package. Be aware that the two packages will not be arriving at the same time.

Interest/questions: irrappext@gmail.com

Bundle #3:

Eight Prints To The Wind

I recently came across a stash of surplus colour digital collage prints that had made for the exhibit at the Goodfoot in Portland a several years back, so I’ve gathered together 8 of the ones that seemed likely to be the most broadly appealing — although I’ll have to admit to having very dubious judgment when it comes to that kind of thing. All prints will be signed and are in a general 9″ to 12″ per-side range (the perfectly square one in the photos is 11″ x 11″, which should give a good idea of the relative sizes of the others). Click on the images for a closer look: the image with the black background has the original digital versions, and other image is a photo of the actual prints.

I believe I have enough prints to sell 5 separate sets of these particular 8 prints.

The price for bundle #3 is $45. Total package weight is 12 oz, so Priority Mail postage in the US is either an additional $4.50/First Class or $9/Priority, and First Class International postage anywhere else is an additional $22.50 (*sob*). Unfortunately, Media Mail is not an option for artwork.

Interest/questions: irrappext@gmail.com

Bundle #4:

Matted Prints – SOLD

I still have two of the colour prints that were signed, single-matted & backed for the Goodfoot exhibit, and for a short time I am offering them for sale individually at $40 each, or as a pair for $70. All boards are archival quality. Click on the image for a closer look.

Combined package weight is 28 ounces, so $13 Priority Mail US and $22.50 First Class International. So postage is exactly the same for each individually or bundled. Media Mail is not an option for artwork, and the weights are above the 13 ounce limit for US First Class.

Interest/questions: irrappext@gmail.com

I have a few other bundles in preparation, and will try to have them listed in the next few days.

I’m a bit late posting the new eie HNY card here… I put it up on the irr. Facebook page, and then it completely slipped my mind. In any event, I wish you all a stunning New Year — which will hopefully unfold in a manner completely different to all of the doom and gloom that various social and corporate media outlets have been predicting. I’m reasonably optimistic myself about what I’ll be able to accomplish in 2017; but being a small, unnoticed, subterranean crawling thing, the shifting winds of economic and political fortune generally don’t have much impact on me (not right away, anyways: not until the effects start to seep into the drinking water). The political arena has always been a sewer, and I think the more we can liberate ourselves from its influence, the happier we’ll all be. However trite it may sound, what you put out into the world will be what you end up having to wallow in, so try to stay positive. I’m saying this to myself as much as to anyone else out there…

After four long years and endless faffing about in unproductive limboland, the irr. app. (ext.) / Blue Sabbath Black Cheer / The New Blockaders collaborative mash-up ‘DDTTNBX’ is finally pressed, printed and available for purchase here. As the other contributors should indicate, the descriptive term ‘mash-up’ has probably never been so appropriate: mashing, grinding, pulping, pummeling, excoriation and lambastery of all varieties are in spectacular abundance on this record — although not to the complete exclusion of intermittent moments of poignant reflection. For this collection, the original ‘DDTTNB’ track from BSBC has been drastically expanded (hence the ‘X’ added to the title: getit? hunh? getit?) with a lively irr/TNB collaboration, a creaky new irr. track, and a gigantic collision between irr/BSBC/TNB. A full hour of sonic abuse all told. All tracks have been mastered by your humble servant, and graphic wrappings have been concocted by someone uncannily similar. This release has promptly & graciously been rendered into material form by Phage Tapes.

Combo-package buttons for this album with either the irr./BSBC ‘Discordant Convergence’ CD (also released by Phage) or the two most recent irr. albums ‘I Made This…’ and ‘Matériaux Déplacés’ have been added at the bottom of the page for your shopping convenience.

The next two new irr. albums are still in progress, but it will probably be a while yet before they reach completion: I shifted them to the back burner when presented with the opportunity at long last to finish off ‘DDTTNBX’, and then decided to wrap up a few other overlong-lingering collaborations, like the second irr./Umpio album and and an art collaboration with Steven Stapleton. More news about these and other things will follow eventually, but I can tell you that one of the new irr. albums will be called ‘Voice Of The Tiktaalik (Or, In The Sunshine Of Your Lungs)’. The other one may or may not be called ‘Unfeasible Couplings’. And a 10″ release on Drone Records is now underway as well. Start saving your nickels.

The Paradoxosomatid throng & myself wish you all an enjoyable November.